In the Second World War, Great Britain, the United States and Germany each produced one land force commander who stood out from the rest- Bernard Montgomery, George Patton and Erwin Rommel. These three armour-plated egos were the greatest generals of the war. Theirs was a very personal contest- the clash of mighty armies perceived as a bout between three men. In Masters of Battle, the three leaders are 'put in the same ring' against a backdrop of North Africa, Sicily and Italy, the Normandy landings and the push through France and Belgium. All three were arrogant publicity seeking and personally flawed, yet with a genius for the command of men and an unrivalled enthusiasm for combat. All achieved spectacular success on the battlefield. But the explosive passions of their relationships with each other and with their political masters rivalled the yrotechnics of their tank battles in determining the conduct and outcome of the war. Through the mutual respect of the arch-enemies Monty and Rommel, and the mutual animosity of the allies Monty and Patton, Masters of Battlepresents the Second World War as it was experienced by its three most flamboyant, controversial and influential commanders.